Automatic beam control for television camera tubes



March 29, 1960 c. T. SHELTON 2,930,929

AUTOMATIC BEAM CONTROL FOR TELEVISION CAMERA TUBES Filed March 20. 1959 BEAM CURRENT VOLTAGE GRID VOLTAGE IN VEN TOR, CH4RLE$ 7: SHELTON.

' CATHODE BY I K VOLTAGE A T TORNE X AUTOMATIC BEAM coN'rRoL FOR TELEVISION @CAMERATUBES Charles "T. Shelton, C llingswood,NJ., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the SecretaryoftheArmy Application March20,1959, Serial No. 800,902 1 5 Claims. (CL 3 -10) J The present invention relates to a means for auto television camera tube.

In normal operation the beam control within a telef vision cameratube requires careful and often repeated adjustment to obtainoptimum results, and thc means heretofore utilized would not be effective wherever a television camera must be operated remotely or unattended. The present invention features the provision of a means for automatically maintaining the beam current in a television camera pickup tube at the proper value regardless of variation in the illumination, thereby providing a uniformly clean and powerful signal with a minimum of shading and, inaddition, eliminating the noise due j ice.

is had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a vidicon camera tube and a circuit showing an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a family of curves which is referred to in ex- I plaining the operation of the circuit of Fig. 1.

I15 matically controlling the scanning beam intensity in a as shown, and the photoconductive material on the target to'unn'ecessarily high beam current under low light conditions.

Broadly, this in accomplished by measuring the peak signal output .of a vidicon camera tube and applying to the grid of an amplifier. The amplified signal is applied to'jthe control grid of the vidicon tube in such a way that an increase of signal level causes an increase in beam current. If the vidicon tube is operating in a region where there is incomplete discharge of the target,

an increase in beam current causes an increase of signal output. Therefore, in this region the process is regenera'tive. If the amplifier gain is high enough the system Referring to Fig. 1, thereiis shown a television pickup or camera tube 1.0, of the vidicon type which makes use of a photoconducting material on a target which is characterized by a resistance that decreases upon exposure to light. In this regard attention is directed to Fig. 1 which shows a tube 10 that includes a target or signal plate 22 on which an image of an object 14 is focused by means of a lens 16. The optical image is focused on target 22,

is scanned with an electron beam. Such means may be any conventional electron gun at the opposite end of tube 1 0. and includes agcathode 26 and a grid 28. The

beam'deflecting means of tube 10 is conventional and consequentlyjomitted from the drawing.

photoconductor material ontarget 22, just enough electrons are deposited on each spot that it touches to reduce the potential of that side of the photoconductive material to cathode potential. IHowever, during the i'nterval between successive scans the charge deposited on the target leaks through the'phot oc'onducting material at a rate determined by the intensity of the illumination to which this part of the"photoconducting material is subjected. Hence the charge deposited on any' particular part of the photoconducting material the next time it is scanned will be suflicient to replace those electrons that'have been lost by leakage since therlast passage of the elecscans the surface of the photoconductive material on the target 22, the charge it deposits varies with time in ac-f is unstable in the region where the target is not fully dis charged and the beam current will continue to build up until the target is fully discharged. At this pointa further increase of beam current does not causean increase of signal so the regenerative process ceases. However, to prevent an increase of beam current beyond the minimum amount required for discharge of the target,.-a;dc'-

generative or inverse feedback is added by sampling the cordance with the variations in the illumination of the. successive elements of the photoconductive film.

For a detailed description of the circuit embodying the principles of this invention reference is further directed nected'to the positive terminal of voltage source-32 beam current at some electrode which collects part of the beam current. The degenerative signal does not sat-f urate but will continue to increase as long'as the beam current increases. The degenerative signal is lower in amplitude than the regenerative signal in the partial discharge region so that the system is unstable. However, when full discharge of the target is reached, the regen erativeprocess ceases and the degenerative process pre vents further beam current increase; therefore, the sys' tem is stable at the point of full discharge of the target. Thus proper beam current is automatically maintained. If light level or pickup tube. sensitivity should change, or some other drift occur, the system will shift to the new stable point.

One object of the present invention, therefore, is to I provide a means for automatically controlling the grid bias in a camera tube.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for utilizing a portion of the beam current of a lowvelocity scanning-beam type television camera tube so as to control the beam intensity of the tube.

For a more detailed description of the invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference through the parallel arrangement of capacitor 38 and resistor 40. Connected across the source 32 is a potentiometer 46, the center arm .of which is connected to cathode 64 of amplifier tube 44. 'Grid 42 of amplifier tube 44 is, connected to the plate of diode detector 36. The

anode of amplifier 44 is connected through resistor 48 to 't he positive terminal of a high voltage source which, in turn,- is connected through resistor 60. to a grid electrode 58 of tube 10. As. shpwn, electrode v58 is positioned intermediate thecontrol grid 28 and target 22 to 7 develop apotential proportional'to the electron beam resistor 48. Such a decrease in the plate current of tube,

44 causes a proportional increase in the positive potential at point 50. The values of resistors 48, 52, and 54, are preferably so chosen that point 56 is of negative polarity regardless of the operating status of tube 44, the point 56 being'connectedYo camera tube control grid 28. In other words, resistors 48 and52 together are "greater "in" value than resistor 54 by such an amount that point 56 (andthus grid 28. of.the camera tube remains negative with respect to'cathode'26 even,when, point'50 is atits maximum positive potential, .astoccurs when minimum current is passing throughiloadresistor'48i'. i

In the operation ofthe device, electrons.collected by" target 22 flow toground through resistor, 30 and low'volt-' Page source 32; andthenreturntocathode 2'6"'.to com-.. plete, the circuit, With nob'eamcurrent'the diodedetector 36 isbiasedl'fso thfatit drawsgno current:but; with @Q QW beam current, vthe fi'ow offelectrons, from target'22 will,"

cause a current flow through resistor-3.07m such. a direction that theanode ofldiod'e detector 36"willbe. made. positive relative to the diode cathode. Withithe diode, detector 362drawing current, condenser 38.will'charge exz' ponentially in the convcntionalimanner, thecharge being;

of such-polarity that the upper plate of the.condenser (as viewed in the drawing) 'is' negative. It isto be understood that' the time constant of"38 -40iis long enough" to integrate .one frame of video. The voltagedeveloped' across condenser 38is applied to'. the grid 4'2"ofamplifier 44, and as a result" the voltage derived from1point'50; tends..to increase to providepositive'feedback: Simul taneously, the beam current impinges'on'electrode5810. provide a negative potential which isapplied to' cathode" 64 through isolation resistor '62,and, produces an;.increase 1' in plate current through resistor 48' sopthatthe,;voltage" at point stl'becomes' more negative to provide'negative beam current; and means in circuit'with said" last: menfeedback. This he linearrelationshipjand*isshowmin curve B. Inturn, point56' Lbecom'es-m'orenegative *and',

consequently, grid 28 of 'tube"10'becomes"more negative; thus decreasing the beam current:

From the above it can be seen'that'the' di'od'edetector" 36 is used to measure" peakvideo; and thisqlevel'isjfedt0 the control grid'28 of the vidicon tube'in'such awaythat as long as peak ,video'isincreasing; camera 'tube 'beami current is increasing; Fromcurve AofFig. 2; it may be observed that thisgri'd' voltage'increasesataifaster rate than the cathode voltage until full" discharge" of target '22 occurs," and; at thispointthe 'grid' voltage applied" through. diode detector 36 becomes constant. Thus, when peak-video ceasesto increase, the proper level of beam has been reached: To stabilizetli'e.beam.at th1s' point (point-C in Fig: 2'), the negative feedback ofa sample of beam current-obtained from electrode 58is" applied to' the grid28 asthc controlling-voltage. The dotted linesshow' the variation of grid'voltage, for different light levels. Fordifferent'saturation" levels of grid, voltage, the circuit will have adiiferent stable point so that near-optimum beamcurrent will be' maintained.

While the specific embodiment herein has'been direct ed'specifically to a" vidicon camera tube,gitis obvious that the invention can be equally appliedito any lowvelocity scanning-beam type television camera'tube. While there has been described'what is atpresent considered a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in'the art that various changes 5 and modifications may be made therein without depart= tioned means andsaidcapaeitive storage means whereby said storage voltage is applied regeneratively to said control means, and said proportional potential is applied degeneratively to said control, means, said proportional potentialhaving exclusive controlito stabilizesaidibTeain, current at a point where the voltage.developed'acrosss said storage, means corresponds, to maximum light .intensity.

2, A system of'the kind set forth in claim 1, wherein 7 said capacitive. storage means comprises a 1 capacitori in. parallel arrangement with" aresistor and adiode detector.-v interconnecting said parallel arrangement and saidftargen 3'; I'rLa controlsystemior atcamera tubeofithelow velocity electron beam scanning type includingmeans.

to controlithe beam current and '.a target whichlinterceptsf said beam; the discharge current derived ,from said-tar:

get being dependent on the light intensity impinging, on, said" target, means comprisinga capacitor. andgadiode detector interconnecting the output of said target tosaidl capacitor. for developing a voltage thereacross. responsive to said current discharge, means includinga grida electrode for developinga potentialproportional'to saidf beamcurrent," and'means incircuit with saidlast'menw. tionedmeans andfsaid'capacitor whereby said capacitor. voltage is appliedregene'ratively to said control means. andsaid potential isapplied,degeneratively to said .6011;

trol; means, said proportional potential having exclusive controlto: stabilize said beam current at a point where;

the voltage .developed across said. capacitor. corresponds;

to maximum light intensity;

4: A system .ofjthez kind set :forth ;in; claim 3; wherein: I

saidrl grid electrode: is intermediateiv said beam control"? meansrandsaidtarget;

5; A system'of'th'e kind 'set forth in claim-4 whereinthe means in circuit with said last' mentioned means com-v prisesan-amplifier having at least aplate; grid-and cathode, said: proportional potential being applied tosaid cathode and said" capacitor voltage being appliedto saidi gridg'andisaid plate beingin-circuit with said controlmeans.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,786,950" Palmer .Mar. 26,1957? 

